


Plots & Plans

by Kittleskittle



Series: Red Raids AU [2]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:07:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26245405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittleskittle/pseuds/Kittleskittle
Summary: A collection of oneshots from the We Know Who Our Enemies Are universe, from Aloy and Nil's two years of separation, to in-game events and beyond.
Relationships: Aloy/Nil (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Series: Red Raids AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906573
Comments: 26
Kudos: 55





	1. Contingencies

**Author's Note:**

> It took me longer than expected, but I'm finally posting these! There's not going to be an update schedule with this one - it's mostly going to be when I'm feeling inspired. I've got a bunch ready to go though!
> 
> In this first oneshot, Nil has a conversation with Avad right before the Liberation regarding Aloy and settling certain matters.

"Ah, excuse me. Khane Argir?"

Nil's lips thinned, but he didn't look up from his desk, where he was penning yet another missive full of strategy suggestions. As the date of their march to Meridian neared, messengers and soldiers of all stripes had been coming and going from his tent with greater frequency, and his patience was now worn to the bone. There was only one person beneath the Sun who he'd be glad to see at this moment, and his lips twitched into an almost-smile as his thoughts briefly settled on his Aloy, far away from here - and most importantly, safe. 

But as always, before the excitement and rush of battle, there was an enormous amount of work to be done. Unfortunately, this included speaking with some of the most clueless and irritating individuals Nil had ever met in his life.

Forcing himself to keep an even and measured tone, he asked, "Yes? What is it?"

There was a shuffling of feet, and then the owner of the voice cleared his throat. With an irritated sigh, Nil finally twisted himself around in his chair. 

And came eye to eye with Sun Prince Avad himself.

Years of military training had him rising to his feet in seconds, his muscles tensing as he snapped to attention. 

"Oh, at ease," Avad said with a wave of his hand, wrinkling his nose. "By the Sun, I'm not certain I'll ever get used to that."

"How may I help you, your Highness?" Nil asked, his voice as low and respectful as he could make it. He adopted a slightly more relaxed pose, his hands clasped behind his back. The etiquette of his station, drilled into his head from birth, demanded that he still maintain total deference to any member of the Radiant House, and if Nil was good at anything beyond the arts of war, it was following rules.

"Please, it's only us two," Avad said, a handsome smile blooming on his face. "Call me Avad. We've spent enough time around each other in the war tent as of late, and frankly, I tire of the pretense."

Nil hesitated, but eventually dipped his head in a nod. "Very well, Avad. I'd prefer it if you called me Sahad, honestly. Khane Argir reminds me far too much of my father."

Warm laughter bubbled from Avad, and Nil felt himself grin despite himself. The prince was as charming as he remembered from his days at court, a stark contrast to the severe demeanor of the Sun-King. 

"Well, Sahad, I've been making the rounds and checking in with my advisors," Avad said lightly. "If there's anything else you needed, any last minute supplies or requests..."

The prince trailed off, gazing at him expectantly. Nil pursed his lips as he wracked his brain. He was the sort of man who had never needed much in the way of excess comforts, having grown up in the wilds of the Jewel and then living sparsely as a soldier. His eyes dropped back to his desk, where several leaves of parchment sat scattered, and an idea came to him then.

"Yes, actually," he said softly, still gazing down at the smooth surface of the paper. "I'd like to pen a letter to my wife."

"Wife?" When Nil looked back up at Avad, his brow was furrowed. "I wasn't aware that you were married."

"Not officially," Nil said with a chuckle. "As circumstances are now, it wouldn't have been allowed. But we said our vows beneath the Sun, and she wears my markings. It's good enough for us. "

"Is she of a lower class?" Avad asked, his voice filled with understanding. 

Nil snorted. "Try an entirely different tribe. Aloy is Nora."

The prince drew back, blinking rapidly. Nil had to bite his tongue to keep from bursting out into laughter at the sight of the normally regal, composed Avad caught so off guard.

"Well, I'm sure there's quite the story involved with that," Avad said, bemused. "But surely you don't need my help writing a letter."

"I would be very grateful if you held on to it for safekeeping," Nil explained. "In the event of my death, I'd like for her to receive it if she ever makes her way to Meridian."

"Ah, I can do that." Avad glanced down for a moment, worrying at his plush lower lip. "You know, Sahad, you've been an integral part of this war effort, despite the atrocities you committed under my father's banner, and I am in your debt. I'd like to offer more of my services than just holding on to a letter."

Tilting his head, Nil narrowed his eyes and frowned at the Sun Prince, whose amber eyes were glimmering with apprehension. "I...you're very attractive, Avad, believe me, but I'm a married man, and I'm loyal to my wife and her alone - "

"By the Sun, that's not what I meant!" Avad interjected. His eyes were wide, and a vibrant flush was quickly spreading over his golden-brown skin. With a groan, he brought his hands to his face. "Sun and Shadow, will I ever learn how to phrase my words correctly?"

Laughter spilled out of Nil, and he was relieved that he wasn't burdened with the _extremely_ awkward task of rejecting a member of the Radiant Line. "No, no. I apologize for the misunderstanding. This endeavor had exhausted us all. What _did_ you mean, then?"

Avad sighed, carding his fingers through his inky curls. "What I meant to say was that, if we're successful in taking Meridian, I'd like to offer to make your marriage official - put it in the books, so to speak. That way, in the event of your death, your wife will inherit your estate and accounts with little issue."

Unexpected emotion rose up in Nil until it was clawing at his throat, and he had to swallow it back down before speaking again. "That would be entirely more than I deserve."

"If not for yourself, then for Aloy's sake," Avad said with a small smile. "I can tell by the way you speak of her how much you must love her. Surely you'd consider her deserving?"

"Aloy deserves the world," Nil said quietly, fixing his gaze on the prince. "I'll accept your offer, then. On one condition."

"And that is?"

"If I do live, an option for annulment if she wishes it." The thought of Aloy rejecting him upon their reunion was almost too much to bear, so Nil pushed that particular thought away as hard as he could before continuing. "I don't want to force a binding union upon her without her consent."

"I can do that," Avad said. He grinned then, and Nil caught a flash of bright white teeth. "As long as you invite me to your wedding when all is said and done."

Nil leveled him with a skeptical look. "There's a lot that needs to go right for that to even happen, but sure. You're invited to my hypothetical wedding."

Avad chuckled infectiously, and Nil felt himself grinning back as the prince clapped a hand on his shoulder. When he pulled it away a few seconds later, Nil's skin was still warm. 

_Radiant indeed_ , he thought with a smirk.

"Very well, then. I'll leave you to your business."

Before Avad could turn to leave, Nil cleared his throat. The Sun Prince looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Thank you, Avad."

He gave a quick nod and a small smile before stepping to the entrance of the tent and pausing.

"May you always walk in the light, Sahad."


	2. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happens immediately post-epilogue. Nil discovers exactly who gave Aloy that wound on her throat.

As comfortable as their grassy bed was in the moment, Aloy knew her and Nil should get up and make camp soon. Although they were firmly into spring, the mountain air of the Sacred Lands still grew frigid enough at night that snow would sometimes fall. As it was, the faint wind sighing through the trees was carrying with it a bite that nipped at her exposed skin and puckered it into gooseflesh. Not even the warmth radiating from her husband was enough to stave off the chill, so with a reluctant sigh, Aloy tapped at his shoulder.

"Mm, yes?" Nil asked, lifting his head from where he had it buried against her chest. His eyes were heavy-lidded with exhaustion, and Aloy wasn't particularly surprised. By his own account, he had rushed from deep in the Sundom to the Sacred Lands, and knowing him, that meant forgoing sleep.

"We need to start a fire," Aloy explained, de-tangling her limbs from his. At his pout, she raised an eyebrow. "You know our bedrolls will be much more comfortable than the ground."

"I'm aware," Nil groaned, rolling on to his back and rubbing at his eyes with a forearm. "Give me a couple of minutes, and I'll set up my tent."

Aloy's lips quirked as she pulled her clothes back on. "A tent? That's a lot more than I was expecting."

"I do have standards, little huntress," Nil said, struggling to sit up beside her. "I'd rather not get rained on or be bothered by the local wildlife."

" _Your_ tent," Aloy mused, tapping a finger on her chin. "Does this mean I'm still sleeping outside?"

Nil shot her an amused grin while he dressed himself. "Well, I managed to procure one that comfortably sleeps two, but if you really want to, I could use the extra room."

As irrational as it was, even though she had been the one to start this line of conversation, the subject of their banter still struck a sore spot in Aloy. Hurt swelled in her chest like an infected wound, and although she attempted to suppress it, she couldn't prevent some of it from escaping out on to her face. 

Nil's grin faded, only to be quickly replaced by concern.

"Hey now, little huntress," he said, his voice hushed and soft as his hand came up to cup her cheek. "You're going to be sleeping beside me tonight, and every night going forward from here on out. Even if you did want to sleep outside for some reason, I wouldn't let you. I just got you back, and I'm not about to let you stray from my sight quite yet."

"I know I'm being ridiculous," Aloy bit out, refusing to meet his eyes. "Just...don't worry about it."

"Telling me not to worry about you is like telling me not to kill," he said wryly, brushing a few strands of hair from her forehead. "Some things are second nature to me now."

She finally looked at him through slitted eyes. "You were worried for me?"

Nil's laugh was short and harsh. "Oh, every single miserable moment I was trapped in that cage. And now I'm seeing that a good deal of it was justified."

Aloy frowned, uncertain whether she should feel insulted or not. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've been hurt, Aloy," he said softly. "And I don't just mean the wound on your neck. I can see it in your eyes, in how you carry yourself. Where there was once eagerness and lightness, there's now heaviness and trepidation. If you don't want to talk about it yet, that's all right. Just know that I'm here to listen whenever you're ready."

So many competing emotions rose up in Aloy at once that her chest felt as though it could burst. Swallowing back some of them, she placed a steadying hand over her heart, willing herself to breathe into it, to focus.

"I had nightmares," she whispered after a few moments. "So many nightmares of you dying. I could keep myself busy well enough during the day, but it always caught up with me at night while I was lying in bed. And Rost..."

Tears blurred her vision, but she blinked them back furiously. "Rost would try to comfort me, but it wasn't ever enough. And now he's gone, and I'm so afraid, Sahad. I'm still afraid that I'm going to lose you too, or that this is all another dream."

Strong arms wrapped around her, and Nil tugged her into the firm support of his embrace. Clutching at him with everything she had, Aloy let out a quiet sob.

"I suspected, but I wasn't sure," Nil said, pressing his lips to her hair. "I'm so sorry, Aloy. But I can assure you that this isn't a dream and that I'm not going anywhere, not if I can help it."

The words soothed some of the pulsing fear and hurt within her, enough that Aloy could feel her initial panic receding. 

"Rost's last act was to save my life, and I'm going to find the man who murdered him." Her face hardened as she brushed her fingertips over the stinging cut on her throat. "He was specifically after me for some reason. I'm going to find out why. And then I'm going to put him down, just like he did to the other Nora at the Proving, like he did to Rost. Like he tried to do to me."

When Aloy glanced up at Nil, his face was twisted with so much fury and murderous rage that her stomach dropped out, and she instinctively winced away from him. She had only seen this look on his face once before - the last time she had spoken of those who had wronged her.

"And I," he said calmly, too calmly for the storm raging over his features, "am going to be by your side the entire time, ensuring he doesn't get a second chance at claiming your life."

When he finally looked down at her, some of the anger had drained from him, a sharp seriousness taking its place.

"Aloy, I know this is difficult for you to talk about, but what do you know about this man? What did he look like? Any affiliations? Tracking is something I excel at, but I need this information if I'm going to help you."

Taking a deep, cleaning breath, Aloy did her best to center herself before speaking.

"I don't know of any affiliations, but I'll never forget what he looked like. An enormous brute of a man, bigger that even Rost. Pale skin, black hair that he kept in several small braids. And..." Her brow knitted.

"And?" Nil prompted.

"His eyes." Aloy stared at him. "It was the strangest thing, but they were the exact same shade of grey as yours."

Nil went so still that only visible movement was the fluttering of the pulse on his neck. All of the color had drained from his face, as though he had seen a ghost, and for the first time ever, she could see a glimmer of fear in his grey eyes. Aloy was about to ask if he was okay, but then he opened his mouth to speak.

"His voice." The words were choked, so Nil cleared his throat. "Was it...distinctive in any way?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Aloy said slowly. "It was strangely calm, despite the violence of his actions. When he picked me up by the throat and tried to slit it, he told me to turn my face to the Sun...so I suppose he was Carja."

Nil was on his feet in a flash. With a snarl, he stalked to a nearby tree and threw his fist into it. The dull thud it made echoed through the tranquility of the clearing, several leaves fluttering down from the branches above. 

When he turned back to face her, agitation still reigned over his features, and he paced back and forth a few times, running his fingers through his hair.

Aloy slowly stood, putting her hands out in front of her beseechingly. "Nil - what? Do you know him?" Coming to his side, she reached out to grip at his arms, her eyes full of pleading as she stared up at him. "I need to know, I need to find out what's going on - "

" _Helis_ ," he hissed through clenched teeth, his muscles quaking with suppressed fury beneath her hands.

"Who?"

It seemed to take a great deal of effort, but Nil took a deep breath, some of the anger dissipating from him as he exhaled.

"Jiran's personal butcher," he growled. "His Champion...and my commanding officer as a kestrel."

Horror curdled in Aloy's gut. "He wasn't killed during the Liberation?" At his confused look, she clarified, "I heard about it from the envoys the new Sun-King sent to the Proving."

Nil looked mildly amused for brief moment. "Well, that sounds like Avad. Already making in-roads with diplomacy towards our former enemies." His face hardened again. "And no, Aloy, he was not. I watched as he cut a path of bodies through the streets of Meridian and then fled like a coward with the remaining kestrels, Sun Prince Itamen, and the Queen to Sunfall."

"Why was he after me?" Aloy whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. She knew enough about this monster of a man from her husband's stories to chill her to the bone.

"I don't know, little huntress. The fact that he's dogging me, even now..." Nil flexed and released his fists. "I could deal with it when it was only me. But now that he's set his sights on you, now that he's almost taken you from me..."

With a curse, he spat on the ground between them. "He's just signed his death warrant. And after he suffers by my hand, I'll make sure you're the one who gets the killing blow."

Now that some of his initial anger had faded, Nil's expression had smoothed over into an eerie calm. His grey eyes were frigid, ice over a lake, and Aloy shivered despite herself. 

"We just have to find him first," she muttered, rubbing some heat back into her arms. "Varl - a Brave I met by the gates of the Embrace - asked me to search for a war party lead by his mother. They disappeared while tracking the remnants of whatever this group is. We should start there tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Nil nodded crisply. His eyes thawed a bit, and with cautious hesitation, he reached out to cup her cheek in the roughness of his palm. It was as warm as always, and Aloy relaxed into his comforting touch.

"You're freezing, little huntress," he said with a frown, regret touching his features when he drew away. "We should build a fire now."

Some of the tension broke then, and Aloy heaved a muted sigh of relief. As much as it was a part of who he was, she didn't particularly enjoy seeing that glint in her husband's eye, the one that was feral and full of disgusted hatred, with a hint of bloodthirsty relish at what was to come. The soft regard and concern he held for her now was yards more preferable, and it caught her off guard how easily he shifted between the two. Not much had changed in this regard - as always, Nil was a dizzying amalgamation of contrasts, veering from one extreme to the other in the time it took to draw breath.

"I'm surprised you're not cold," Aloy remarked as they headed back into the center of the clearing, picking up twigs and fallen branches along the way. She was desperate for a change of subject, exhausted by only a few minutes of talk about the events of the past few days. Rost's death was still too new and raw for her, and dwelling on it too long without distraction wouldn't lead her anywhere good.

"I suppose we Carja burn hot." Aloy caught a flash of teeth when he grinned at her. "No, fierce one, I learned how to adjust to the elements long ago. It was necessary when fighting over such a varied terrain."

"Is that why your chest is always bare? To show off?" she asked, a note of humor in her voice. She crouched down and began organizing their gathered materials into a suitable fire arrangement, fumbling when she felt a solid warmth press into her back.

"Why? Is it distracting?" Nil purred from behind her, an arm snaking around her waist. Teasing fingertips brushed over the underside of a breast, and Aloy inhaled sharply at the spark of arousal that arced through her at his touch.

"As warm as you claim to be, we still need to build a fire, Nil," Aloy protested, but her tone was rippling with laughter and just a tad strained. "Can't you wait just a few minutes?"

"But I have something _very_ important to make up to you," Nil murmured, dropping lingering kisses over her exposed neck. A soft moan escaped him. "Mm, how could I have forgotten how good you taste?"

"Nil," Aloy said flatly.

"Yes, yes. I'll get started on the tent." 

With clear reluctance, Nil separated himself from her and began digging in his pack. Both worked in a comfortable silence, and not ten minutes later, Aloy had a spirited fire going. Sitting back on her hands with a pleased grin, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, allowing the heat from the blaze to ooze into her.

The shuffling sounds of Nil setting up their tent went on for a few more minutes, and then silence descended on them. Aloy was about to sit up and open her eyes, but before she could, warm palms smoothed over the bare skin of her upper arms. Remnants of her earlier pleasure curled lazily in her belly, and with a slightly breathless sigh, she leaned back into him.

"Now may I touch you?" Nil's voice was dry, but a hint of playfulness weaved into his words.

"Yes," Aloy responded, turning her head until she could place a kiss on to his jawline. A low, pleased hum rumbled in his chest, and those fingers on her arms crept slowly inward, until they were just barely skimming over the sides of her covered breasts. Already, Aloy's breath came faster.

"Oh, how I'm going to enjoy taking my time with you tonight," Nil purred in her ear, sending a delightful shiver down her spine. "Draw you as tight as my bowstring, until you're just at the point of snapping."

Instead of continuing their trek over her breasts, his hands wandered down, over her ribs and the points of her hip bone. Aloy couldn't help but curve into him with a jagged exhale when they slid beneath the hem of her top, his fingertips running along the taut span of her belly teasingly. All the while, Nil dropped open-mouthed kisses up and down her neck, the tip of his tongue darting out for the occasional taste. 

While he guided her into his lap, his fingers dipped into her leggings. They ghosted over the wiry tuft of hair between her legs before dropping down further to languidly drag over Aloy's slit, still wet and breathtakingly sensitive from their earlier activities. 

"We shouldn't have even bothered with the clothes," Nil murmured in her ear while she trembled uncontrollably beneath him. "But I admit, this does have a certain sort of appeal."

The only thing Aloy could respond with was a pathetic whimper. Her hips strained covetously upward into the rolling motions Nil made with his fingertips over her tender clit, her climax already swelling within her like a great, unavoidable wave. Their earlier lovemaking had frustrated her more than she had realized, and the building current of pleasure threatened to be overwhelming to the point of over-stimulating. Still, she chased after it hungrily, rocking her hips in time with her husband's ministrations. 

Blindly, Aloy searched for the familiar anchor of his free hand, and when she found it, wove their fingers together. Nil seemed to understand what she wanted - no, _needed_ , because he quickened his movements, and she didn't last another five seconds before every muscle in her body seized up and she broke apart in a glorious release that overpowered all other thoughts and feelings. And it wasn't just the leftover tension from earlier in the evening that melted out of her - it was two years worth, all of the loneliness and desire and yearning, carried out of her for good through her keening cries into the night. 

When she came down, Aloy felt curiously lighter - but also raw, as though she had shed a too-cramped cocoon and was coming into the world remade anew. She didn't realize she was shaking until Nil pulled his fingers from her pants and wrapped both of his arms around her, tightening his grip until she finally managed to calm.

It would be like this from now on, Aloy realized with a start, and she found herself blinking back tears at the thought. Nil was here for good, to remain by her side through every challenge and trial which lay ahead, and nothing short of death would tear them apart again. If she hadn't believed it what he had said before, she did now. 

"I've got you, Aloy," he whispered, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "It's all right. I'm here now."

"Yeah," she said hoarsely, dropping her head back against his shoulder. She stared up through the tree branches, letting her eyes wander over at the textured blanket of stars winking back at her like cut gems. "You really are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this one because the first oneshot was very short, and, well... I'm sure yinz were curious about what came after the epilogue!


	3. Ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nil pines for his wife in Sunstone Rock.

Nil couldn't sleep. Again.

The night sky was irritatingly clear - a rarity as deep in the Jewel as he was - allowing the moon to shine ceaselessly through the tiny, barred window of his cell and straight into his eyes. With a long-suffering sigh, he rolled on to his back, staring up at the craggy ceiling blankly.

Just over six months into this miserable existence, and Nil felt as though he were already going mad. Oppressively hot days bled into muggy, sleepless nights, almost every endless minute spent in this too-small cage of stone. Avad had at least been considerate enough to decree that every prisoner was to receive an hour of time outdoors daily, but still, it wasn't enough. 

Nil's muscles were now constantly coiled with tension, primed for a fight that would never come. Although he tried to exercise as much as he possibly could to burn some of this off and keep himself in shape, he still felt his strength waning with each passing day, and this infuriated him more than anything else. Instead of dwelling on it, however, he sank deep into himself, into the safety of his thoughts and dreams. As a result, most of his time was spent fantasizing either about his glorious time on the battlefield, or her.

His Aloy, who he ached for more and more every day. His beautiful wife, the cunning and powerful Nora huntress, with her hair of spun flames and eyes that gleamed like cut emeralds flecked with gold. With her gorgeous body, lithe and feminine yet firm with corded braids of muscle from years spent honing her deadly array of skills in the wilderness. That gentle swell of her hips, a perfect handhold for when he drew her flush up against him, her graceful curves melding so well with his own hard angles, her soft breasts pressing enticingly into his chest...

Nil shifted on the hard, metal excuse for a bed. The moment his mind had conjured up an image of her, his cock had instantly hardened, and he palmed at himself uselessly through the rough fabric of his prison garb. He grimaced. This was exactly the reason he avoided all thoughts of her until night had settled over Sunstone Rock and most of the other inmates were asleep.

This time, he knew he wouldn't be able to resist. Already, in his thoughts and memories, she was rising above him, fully unclothed, that small, affectionate smile she reserved for him in their most intimate moments playing on her lips. Shooting a furtive glance at the bars of his cell, Nil took a moment to calm his breathing and open his ears. Not a sound could be heard beyond a faint dripping somewhere far off, and he relaxed a bit. If he was efficient enough, he might have enough time to find some relief before the night guard did his rounds. 

Not wasting another precious second, he pulled his scratchy blanket up to his waist, then reached into his pants to wrap his fingers around himself. His length was already so sensitive and swollen with desire that Nil had to stifle a gasp. Straddling his hips now, Aloy chuckled, her eyes glinting mischievously in the sparse light filtering into the room.

"Sahad," she sighed, rolling her hips over his languidly. Nil shuddered and tightened his grip on his shaft, hissing when he skimmed his thumb over the sensitive tip. "Do you want me?"

 _More than anything,_ he would say. _I've missed you almost more than I can bear._

When the Aloy in his head rocked into him again, a soft cry escaped her lips, and she bit at her plush lower lip in the exact way that had always driven him wild with want. He began to stroke himself then, even as he reached up to palm at one of her luscious breasts, the pad of his thumb skimming over a pearled nipple.

"Please," she gasped out when he arched up into her, an attractive flush warming the expanse of her pale skin. "I need you, so much."

_I need you too. More than anything I've ever needed or wanted before._

He quickened his pace while Aloy lifted her hips to hover over the weeping tip of his cock, a coy, secret smile on her face. When she eased down on to him, ever-so-slowly, she threw her head back with a gutteral, pleased moan, her fingernails digging sharp little half-moons into his forearms. Nil had to grit his teeth to keep from responding in kind.

She was perfectly tight and wet for him, her warm depths encasing him as snugly as a well-crafted sword scabbard. Never one to dally in any aspect of her life, Aloy began to ride him at a spirited pace, her lips parted, soft, sharp little noises escaping them with every eager motion of her hips. It had never ceased to amaze him just how open and free she was with showing her pleasure, and it had only made him burn hotter for her. Nil had a vice grip on his cock now, thrusting eagerly into his hand in time with the scenario playing out in his head. 

All too soon, Aloy began to tremble, even as his own climax rapidly approached. As always, a russet flush warmed her skin, blending with the sea of freckles that dusted her body, a sight Nil had made certain to commit to memory. His fingertips found her tightened clit, and he rubbed at the little nub vigorously, wanting to see her reach her peak first, even in fantasy. In the long ago quiet and serenity of the cave, it hadn't taken him long to figure out exactly how to touch and stroke his wife to bring her release. In his head, he replicated those motions, determined to keep them fresh in his memory for that far-off day they would be reunited, when he would take her to bed once again.

He could only hope that, after two years apart, she would still want him.

Above him, Aloy suddenly stiffened, her body drawing as tight as a tripwire and her eyes fluttering shut. Her hips jerked against his once more, and in that moment, Nil could just remember how her coming with him buried inside of her felt - a wet, impossibly tight squeeze around his cock that would often drag his own release from him. Sure enough, the thought alone was enough to have him spilling in his hand with a quiet curse, his hips straining up into the hold of his fist.

When he came down a couple of minutes later, Aloy was still there staring down at him with heavily lidded eyes, cloaked in an veil of melancholy. With a quiet sigh, Nil reached up and cradled the soft curve of her cheek in his hand. He could almost feel her warmth.

"Aloy." Nil was not a religious man, but he breathed out her name as reverently as any prayer. "I survived, and I'm coming home to you. Just wait awhile longer for me, little huntress."

Sadness dripped into those beautiful eyes until they were as anguished as the night he had left her standing alone on the road out of the Sacred Lands, and Nil could only wonder. If he could go back to that moment now, would he have made the same choice to walk away from her? Would the regret he felt now be the same if he had run away with her, started a new life somewhere far away? He didn't know anymore. So much of his life spent abiding by his own code of honor and the rules of society, and she was the only reason he'd ever doubted his unwavering adherence to these things. A crushing weight settled on his chest, and he suddenly found it difficult to breathe. 

Fully aware that he was speaking to a ghost but far beyond the point of caring, Nil whispered, "Aloy, I love you."

A tear bloomed in the corner of her eye and trailed down her cheek.

"Then why didn't you ever say it to me?"

Aloy vanished in an instant, memory that she was, and Nil was left staring at nothing but the darkness of his cell, as empty as everything else in his life these days. With a violent shudder, he buried his face in his hands and stayed that way until the Sun began to lighten the sky to the east.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's an accompanying chapter to this involving Aloy...which I will finish at some point.

**Author's Note:**

> A few things immediately in store/what's almost completely written: mutual pining during Aloy and Nil's separation, arriving in Meridian for the first time, what happens immediately post-epilogue, and a very special alternate epilogue...
> 
> I missed these two a lot, and I'm really excited to be writing for them again!! I'll see yinz when I've got another ready!


End file.
